Toes! They’re short and chunky, sometimes smell funky… but without them, we’d be toe-tally out of luck! We asked evolutionary anthropologist Darcy Shapiro to walk us through why we have toes, and what they help us do!Got a question tickling the tips of your toes? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help nail down an answer!

Carrots are a delicious, crunchy snack. But unlike other vegetables, carrots don’t have seeds inside. So how do farmers grow them?  We asked plant scientist Jeff Mitchell to help us get to the root of the matter.  Got a question that you want us to chew over?  Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dig up some answers.

Air – we can’t breathe without it, we can’t live without it, we know it’s made up of molecules, so why is it invisible? Chemist Vicky van der Geer-Bock will help us answer this question.If there’s a question whose answer feels invisible to you, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help find the answer.

Our hearts are strong muscles that pump blood all through our bodies. But do hearts look the same in different animals? What about a tiger, or a lizard, or…a cockroach? Do cockroaches even have hearts? ? We asked urban bug expert Dr. Jody Green to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s been bugging you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll fly the answer your way.

Have you ever been walking around when you notice that your shoelaces have come untied, even though you just tied them? What’s up with that? We asked engineer Christine Gregg to help us understand. Send us your questions for Moment of Um at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do all the footwork to find the answer.

Say cheese! But if you’re lactose intolerant maybe don’t eat it? Cuz any kind of milk based food will probably give you a tummy-ache! But why? We asked pediatrician Dr. Anjuli Gans why some people are lactose intolerant… and she helped us understand what it is and why it happens. Got an udderly awesome question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll milk it for some answers!

There are so many bacteria in the world that we still haven’t discovered them all! But because bacteria are so tiny, they’re really only visible with the help of a microscope. But what if lots and lots of those teeny tiny bacteria got together in a clump? How many would have to pile together before we could see that pile with just our eyes? We asked microbiologist Daniel Bond to help us find the answer.Got a question GERM-inating in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help micro-SCOPE out an answer!

The sound of crickets on a warm summer evening is just so soothing, isn’t it? All those little insects in the grass, talking to each other about… well, we don’t really know! In fact, we don’t know why they chirp at all. We asked neurobiologist Jon Lambert to tell us what’s actually going on out there at night. If you’ve got a question that just won’t let you rest, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll do our best to find the answer!

Have you ever accidentally let go of a helium balloon and watched it float up … up … and away? It drifts way up in the sky until it’s just a tiny speck! But what would happen if a balloon made it all the way to outer space? We asked astrophysicist Amanda Farah to help us find the answer.Got a question that popped into your head? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll float you an answer! 

Have you ever noticed that the moon looks different at different times of the month? Not just the shape, whether it’s full and round or a tiny sliver – but the color also looks different sometimes. Maybe it’s dark orange, or silvery white, or even a bluish tinge. We asked astronomer and planetarium educator Sarah Komperud to help us understand. Is there a Moment of Um question you’re mooning over? Launch it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll look for the answer.

Most bread dough needs yeast to make it rise, so the bread can be light and fluffy when it bakes. But can you put TOO much yeast in bread? What happens if you do? Do you get a bread balloon? We asked food scientist Dave Domingues to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s rising to the top of your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’d LOAF to help you find the answer!

Toothpaste is something that lots of people use to keep their teeth clean. It makes our mouths smell nice and fresh, but that’s not the only thing it does! So, why do we use toothpaste? We asked dentist Dr. Jean Star to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s stuck in your head, like spinach between molars? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help floss out an answer.

Most of us are familiar with the taste of something sour – that tart feeling that makes your eyes close and your facial features squint. Lemons, lime juice, kimchi are all sour - but what is the sourest thing in the world? We asked Janelle Clepper who has a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota to help us figure it out.And if YOU have a question, we can help with that! Submit your Moment of Um question at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help find the answer.

Our teeth are incredible chomping machines. Their strong outer layer helps us crunch carrots, nibble potato chips and chew bubblegum! But what’s inside of them? We asked dentist Dr. Jean Star to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s eating you up inside? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll chew it over!

In the winter, most of us are used to seeing bare tree branches  – but some trees, like firs, pines, and spruces, don’t usually lose their needles when it gets cold. We asked forest ecologist Diana Macias to help us understand why.  Got a Moment of Um question for us? Go to BrainsOn.org/contact to send it to us, and we’ll root around for the answer.

There are 195 different countries in the world, and they all have different flags. Why is that? And where did flags come from? We asked flag expert Michael Green to unfurl the answers. Do you have a vexing question of your own? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you flag down the answer.

If you open a book, you’ll see lots of letters that come together to make different words. Sandwiched in between the words are little dots, lines and squiggles called punctuation marks. But why do we need those, when they don’t make any sounds at all? We asked writing teacher Kristin Bauck to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s right on the mark? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – we can’t punc-tu-WAIT to help you answer it!

Have you ever noticed that when you say the same word over and over, it starts to sound funny? It’s like the word loses its meaning and just becomes weird, disconnected sounds. One of our listeners wanted to know why, and we went to linguist Shohini Battasali for the answer. Got a Moment of Um question for us? Go to BrainsOn.org/contact to send it to us, and we’ll go in search of a solution, solution, solution, solution…

Concrete is all around us. It makes up the buildings we live in, the sidewalks we walk on, the ramps we do our sick skateboard tricks on … but how is it made? How does it go from a thick, sludgy paste into a hard, smooth surface? We asked engineering professor Matthew Adams to help us find the answer.Got a question that seems to keep getting harder? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll use all our ce-MENTAL ability to find the answer!

When you have a pet, part of taking care of that pet is cleaning up after them. Whether it’s scooping dog doo-doo from the yard, cleaning caca from your cat’s litter box, or picking out the pellet sized poops from a hamster’s cage, dealing with dookie is part of living with animals.  But one of our listeners is wondering…do spiders poop? Paul Shamble of Harvard University helps us understand.If you’ve got a Moment of Um question that’s itching to get out, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll scoop up the answer.

Have you ever looked through newspaper or magazine advertisements and seen coupons? They’re those little paper rectangles that let you pay less for certain foods, items, or services. But when was the first coupon printed? Who had the idea to advertise with sweet sweet deals? We asked historian Bart Elmore to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s limited time only? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll bargain for an answer for you!

Cell phones and tablets are like portals into other worlds. You can play games, take photos, read books – all with just the tap of a finger! But how do touch screens work? We asked mechanical engineer and science educator Tiffani Teachey to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’ve been monitoring? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll tap out an answer!

Cephalopods are a group of marine creatures who all have a big head, a set of arms or tentacles, and can squirt ink. This group includes animals like squids and octopuses, but how do you know which is which? Marine biologist Sarah McAnulty gave us a few things to look for. If you’ve got a Moment of Um question inked in your brain, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search for the answer.

Almond milk is more popular than ever these days, but have you ever wondered how they actually get milk from almonds? We asked Gemma Aguayo-Murphy , recipe developer and creator of the cooking blog Everyday Latina, how it’s done.Got a question that’s a real tough nut to crack? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that quenches your thirst!

Goats are extremely important animals for lots of cultures around the world – they provide milk, meat, and even warm wool. Have you ever noticed that their eyes are unusual? Instead of round pupils like you and me, their pupils are shaped like horizontal lines. We asked vision scientist Martin Banks to explain why. If you’ve got an eye-opening question for Moment of Um, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try to find the answer. 

There are all different kinds of ears in the world: big floppy elephant ears, fuzzy rabbit ears – even teeny squirrel ears smaller than a dime! But what about insects? Do they have ears? We asked insect expert Meredith Cenzer to help us find the answer.Got a question that sounds like a winner? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that’s music to your ears!

Bamboo is a type of grass that grows into big clusters of long, straight stalks. Those stalks are super strong, and are useful for making lots of things, from instruments to gardening tools, to building materials. And when a breeze blows through a bunch of bamboo, it makes a really cool chattering, rattling sound. How does it do that? And why? We asked biologist Lynn Clark to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s BAMBOOzling you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll shoot you an answer!

Tree rings are kind of like a tree’s personal diary – they record everything that happens to them - from the weather, to fires and insects. One of our listeners wanted to know how tree rings form, and if you can actually tell the age of a tree by counting the rings. We asked forest ecologist Diana Macias to help us with the answer. Do you have a stumper of a question for Moment of Um? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll get to the root of the problem.

It seems like water always falls down. Rain and snow fall down from the sky. Watering cans pour water down on plants. Waterfalls – well, the water falls down! But when water is steam, it rises up. Why is that? We asked aerospace engineer Nicole Sharp to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s weighing you down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find what’s up.  

Here at Moment of Um, we love fishing for questions, and the one we’re answering now is a great catch. It comes from Marc, in Miami Florida: When lakes form, how do fish get in them? Associate Professor Megan McPhee from the University of Alaska Fairbanks helps us get to the bottom of this topic. If you have a Moment of Um question, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!

Sleep helps our brains and bodies rest. Lots of animals need sleep to survive, like birds, mice and even humpback whales! But what about insects, like butterflies? Do they doze off, too?  We asked insect expert Meredith Cenzer to help us find the answer.Got a question fluttering around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t sleep on it!

If you’ve ever been on a long car trip, you may have noticed that you start to feel sleepy as the car moves. Is it because the seats are so comfy? Is the radio hypnotizing you? Are the floor mats sprinkled with secret sleepy dust? We asked neuroscientist Aurore Perrault to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s driving you nuts? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dream up an answer.

Black holes are one of the strangest things in space: gravity is so strong that nothing gets out, not even light, so learning about them is a big challenge for scientists. If black holes “eat” everything around them, could one black hole eat another black hole? We talked with astrophysicist Marcos Flores to shed some light on the subject. Are you in the dark with a Moment of Um question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and you could hear the answer on a future episode!

Have you ever seen a Venus flytrap in action? An unsuspecting insect lands inside and BAM! The plant’s toothy leaves snap shut in a fraction of a second! But what happens to the insects that get stuck inside a Venus flytrap? We asked insect expert Meredith Cenzer to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s trapped in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help break down the answer!

Narwhals are sometimes called “the unicorns of the sea” because of their giant spiral tusks. It turns out that those tusks are actually a big tooth that grows right out of the narwhal’s mouth! One of our listeners wanted to know if narwhals were born with a hole in their head for the tusk, and if not, does it hurt the narwhal when the tusk comes through? We spoke with marine biologist Kristin Laidre to get the tooth – er, the truth. If you’ve got a whale of a question for Moment of Um, you can send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact!

Some teens’ personalities seem to change more frequently than the weather in April! Why is that? What’s going on in the brains and bodies of growing humans that changes how they interact with friends and family? We asked child development expert Dr. Ed Greene to tell us about the mighty forces that shape a young person’s personality. Got a question that will boost your mood? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you feel out an answer!

Picture this: you’re enjoying a perfect day by your favorite lake. The sun is shining, the water is calm, and everything is peaceful … until SPLASH! A fish flies out of the water like a silver torpedo and flops back down into the lake. Why do fish do that, anyway? We asked aquatic biologist Keegan Lutek to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’re POND-ering? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that really makes a splash!

Swimming in the pool can be a blast, whether you’re floating peacefully, splishing and splashing, or doing the doggy paddle. But have you ever wondered why you feel lighter in the water than out of it? We asked physicist Xie Chen to help us find the answer.Got a question swimming around in your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll pool our resources to find the answer!

Do you know how to wiggle your ears? It might seem like one of those things that some people can do and other people just can’t, but neuroscientist Steve Hackley says he thinks anyone can learn – and he’s got your instructions! Plus, he tells us why it’s potentially an important skill. If you’ve got a question for Moment of Um wiggling around in your brain, send it our way at BrainsOn.org/contact, and you might hear the answer on an upcoming episode.

Our planet is shaped like a big blue marble. But when we’re standing on the Earth’s surface, the ground looks pretty flat. So why doesn’t the Earth look round to us? We asked astrophysicist Ian Hall to help us find the answer.Got a question that you can’t wrap your head a-round? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it in no time flat!

If your family celebrates Christmas, you’re probably familiar with the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree. Some trees are reusable and can be stored in the closet or basement, and others are real. Just how long does it take real trees to grow to their full size? We asked science communicator and plant expert Brandi Cannon-Force to help us find the answer.Pining for the answer to a tree-mendous question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll fir sure sleigh the answer.

Our galaxy is amazing, but it’s not the only one. Astronomers think there could be two trillion others out there. So, what’s up with those other galaxies? Are they just standing still, or do they orbit something? We asked astrophysicist Ian Hall to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s circling around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a universally appealing answer!

Black holes are created when a giant star explodes into a supernova. The gravity of a black hole is so incredibly strong that it pulls in anything that gets close – even light! But what’s it like inside a black hole? Is it hot or cold? We asked astrophysicist Ian Hall to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s a hole lot of fun? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that really draws you in!

Did you know there is a microscopic animal that can live up to 30 years without food? And that can survive in the vacuum of space? They are called tardigrades, also known as water bears or moss piglets, and they are hardy creatures. How much DNA do these adaptable and almost indestructible organisms share with humans? We asked biologist Kalia Gabriel to help us find the answer.Got a question you can’t bear anymore? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you find a tardi-great answer!

Our universe is enormous and filled with lots of planets. We call planets outside our solar system exoplanets. Could one of these distant places have aliens living on it? We asked astrophysicist Ian Hall to help us find the answer.Got an enterprising question making a trek through your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll boldly go looking for the answer.

There are tons of cake recipes out there, from angel food to red velvet. These recipes make different types of cake, but mostly share the same ingredients, like flour, sugar and eggs. When you mix them up and pop them in the oven, it seems like magic happens! How does that pile of ingredients turn into a cake? We asked science writer Stuart Farrimond to help us find the answer.Got a question that takes the cake? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer – no ifs, ands, or bundts.  

There are tons of cake recipes out there, from angel food to red velvet. These recipes make different types of cake, but mostly share the same ingredients, like flour, sugar and eggs. When you mix them up and pop them in the oven, it seems like magic happens! How does that pile of ingredients turn into a cake? We asked science writer Stuart Farrimond to help us find the answer.Got a question that takes the cake? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer – no ifs, ands, or bundts.  

OH FARTS! Passing gas can be one of the amusing or embarrassing parts of your day. How you feel about tooting can be influenced by lots of factors including where you are, who you are with, how loud it is, and- most importantly- the smell. Speaking of which, what causes the smell of farts? Is it genetics? We asked Masters of Science candidate Kaila Gabriel to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s tying your stomach in knots? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help sniff out an answer.  

Earthquakes happen when the rocky plates that make up the surface of our planet move against each other. But what about quakes in other parts of our galaxy? Do the stars shake? Do planets get their crusts crumbled? We asked astrophysicist Ian Hall to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s quaking your world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll serve you an answer on a tectonic plate.

Lots of trees shed their leaves to prepare for chilly winter temperatures – but not all of them. Evergreen trees, like pines and spruces, keep their needles throughout the winter. So how do they do it? We asked science communicator and plant expert Brandi Cannon-Force to help us find the answer.Have a question that’s really needling you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a tree-mendous answer!

DNA is a tiny molecule found inside almost every living thing on Earth. It’s      an instruction manual that tells your body how to grow and what it should look like! But what is it made of? We asked Kaila Gabriel to help us find the answer.Got a question that has you spiraling out of control? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pair it up with the right expert!

Dandelions are the best! Their sunny, bright yellow blooms make amazing flower crowns. Their leaves are loaded with vitamins and nutrients. And eventually, they turn into adorable puffballs. So why do some people consider them weeds? We asked flower farmer Bo Dennis to help us find the answer.Got a question that is rooted in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you weed out the answer! 

Words are wonderful! Pickle, bubble, and hullabaloo are all super fun to say.  But some words can be hurtful, like  swear words. So if we aren’t supposed to say them, why do swear words exist? We asked linguist Carolin Debray to help us find the answer.Got a question that seems unan-swear-able? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll dis-cuss the answer. 

Flowers help us express our love. A beautiful bouquet can say to the people in our lives, “I’m thinking of you” or even “I love you!” But what about the flowers themselves? Do they ever get to have love stories of their own? We asked plant scientist Laura Steel to help us find the answer.Got a question sprouting in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help the answer bloom. 

Plants do so many different things: they grow fruits and veggies, make beautiful flowers and even pump out oxygen for us to breathe. But how do they suck up water from the dirt? We asked science communicator and plant expert Brandi Cannon-Force to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s unbe-LEAF-ably hard to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll root around for the answer!

Salmon meat can make a delicious meal and, since it has plenty of vitamins and minerals, can be a great part of a nutritious diet. What really makes salmon stand out  though is its pinkish-orange color. What's up with that? We asked aquatic biologist Dr. Keegan Lutek to help us find the answer.Got a question about something that seems fishy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get you an answer so you don’t have to keep flounder-ing about.

Milk! It’s a cookie’s best friend. It’s a key part of a creamy cup of hot chocolate. And it’s delicious, whether it comes from a cow, a goat, an oat, or a coconut. But no matter where your milk comes from, one thing is probably the same – the whitish color. What’s up with that? We asked science writer Stuart Farrimond to help us find the answer.Got a question MOO-ving through your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll milk the answer for all it’s worth!

Quick, look up at the sky! Do you see any fluffy puffy cotton candy clouds? Or maybe long, wispy ones? What about dark storm clouds? There are so many different types of clouds on Earth. But what about space? Are there clouds up there, too? We asked astrophysicist Ian Hall to help us find the answer.Got a question that you want someone to take cirrus-ly? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll aim for the stars!

Star Wars famously starts with “A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…” And boy are there some amazing galaxies in Star Wars. But a planet with two suns is just the stuff of science fiction, right? Maybe not! We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s forcing you to go ummm? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll Boba Fett-ch you an answer.

You may have learned that the colors red, yellow, and blue are called primary colors. It’s sometimes said you can use those three to make all the other colors. But can red, yellow, and blue really mix to make any color, or is there more to the story?  We asked color scientist Stephen Westland to help us find the answer.Got a question that came up out of the blue? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a CYAN-tific answer!

Freeze-dried food seems like something that was invented for space travel, but this technique for preserving food is actually more than a hundred years old! Nowadays you might see freeze-dried mangos or strawberries in many grocery stores. You know, the ones that are dry and crispy and light as a feather? But how exactly do you make them? We asked food scientist Dave Dominguez to help us find the answer.Got an appetite for knowledge? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we promise we won’t give you the cold shoulder!

Today’s question was sent in by a curious listener who wondered why fluffy, sugary-sweet cotton candy dissolves on your tongue. We asked food scientist Craig Sherwin to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s cotton you all confused? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a sweet answer for you.

If you’re a movie lover, a snack lover, or just a lover of things that go “POP!”, you might be wondering what makes a kernel of corn pop. We asked food scientist Dave Dominguez for the deets on this tasty treat.Got a question that’s popped up in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you feel butter about the answer.

Happy Food Week! We’re excited to bring you a whole week of delicious Moment of Yums leading up to Thanksgiving. First up: cheese! Cheese is delicious! It can be stringy, stretchy, stinky, salty, or sweet. It can be eaten fresh or aged for more than a decade.  But it only comes in a few different colors. We asked food scientist Craig Sherwin to help us find out why.Got a question on your rind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help cut through to the answer.

Many people take vitamins along with the normal food they eat in a day. But what if you ate ONLY vitamins? Could you survive? We asked Craig Sherwin from the biotechnology company Novozymes to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s vita-l to your life? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help feed you the answer.

What do curling irons, campfires, and cups of hot cocoa have in common?  They’re all hot!  But nothing is as hot as the sun – at least not in our solar system!  But what about the rest of the universe?  Is the sun the hottest thing? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s too hot to handle?   Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an explanation that shines!

All of the planets in our solar system, and plenty of the moons, are named after gods or other figures from ancient Roman mythology. Have you ever wondered who picked those names? And why is the theme Roman gods, and not famous kings, favorite cartoon characters, or notable cats? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s outta this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and you can nepTUNE in to hear the answer!

When you’re an only child, it might feel nice to have all the attention for a few years until – DUN DUN DUN! – a little sibling comes along. Sometimes it feels like babies get all the attention. Why is that? To help us find the answer, we asked Dr. Ed Greene, early childhood psychologist and consultant for our sister podcast Charm Words.Got a question that’s grabbed your attention? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer. We’re not kid-ding around!

We spend a lot of time on top of our planet, but we don’t spend much time inside it. So it makes sense you might wonder what our planet is made of, deep deep down. Is it more rocks? Is it lava? Is it a gooey caramel center? And what about the other planets, like Mars and Jupiter? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s tearing you up on the inside? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help dig up the facts.

Have you ever seen a snail sliming along, eyestalks a-waving, carrying its whole house on its back? What are snail shells made of, anyway? And how do they make them? We asked biologist Teresa Rose Osborne to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s been creeping around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll escar-GO find you the answer!

Many cactuses are covered in spikes - making them terrible to hug. But what about inside a cactus? Is it also spiky? Or is it soft and cuddly? And is it true you can find water hidden in these desert-dwellers?  We asked science communicator and plant expert Brandi Cannon-Force to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s stuck in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pin down the answer.

What does painting the most splendid sunset and the most radiant rainbow have in common? They both require lots of beautiful paint colors! We can blend colors to make orange, green, and purple, but how do we make primary colors like red, yellow, and blue? We asked color science professor Stephen Westland to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’re dye-ing to get answered? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help illuminate the answer!

Ever find yourself staring at a shiny jewel? Or wowed by the glistening paint on a freshly washed car? Or inexplicably drawn to a magazine with a glossy cover? You are not alone. Humans love shiny things. But why is that? We asked Bauer College professor and marketing expert, Vanessa Patrick, to help shine some light on this topic. Is there a question that’s caught your eye? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll reflect on the answer!

When you look up at the night sky, what do you see?  A few stars, or a satellite, maybe even one of the seven other planets in our solar system?  But how many planets are there in all of outer space? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer!Got a question taking up space in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll launch an investigation for the answer!

There are hundreds of different plants and animals on Earth that are endangered. That means they’re at risk of going extinct if they’re not protected. Lots of people and organizations all over the world are trying to protect endangered species and keep them from disappearing forever. But how does a species become endangered in the first place? We asked wildlife biologist Sergio Avila to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’ve been saving for us?  Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise it won’t vanish from our to do list!

Snails are some of the world’s coolest creatures.  They’ve been around since the dinosaurs walked the Earth – and they carry their houses on their backs! But do our super slimy friends ever need to … use the bathroom? We asked biologist Teresa Rose Osborne to help us track down the answer.Got a question that’s turd-ally awesome? Don’t pee afraid to send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact!  We might even find an answer that’s a real gas!

To us Earthlings, the moon is the ultimate cosmic chameleon. It’s always changing! Some nights it’s waxing, some nights waning, one day it’s full, and just two weeks later, it looks like there’s no moon at all. This is called a new moon, when the face of the moon is entirely in shadow. During a new moon, the moon doesn’t really go away. It’s just too dark to see. But… what would actually happen if we looked up at the night sky, and the moon was gone? We asked astronomer Chris Impey to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s making you moonstruck? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you land on the answer!

Do you ever have trouble putting away your tablet or turning off the TV? Us, too! Lots of people end hours every day using screens – but why do we like them so much? And why is it so hard to turn them off? We asked University of Minnesota professor Jodi Dworkin to help us find the answer.Got a question that you just can’t put down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll screen some experts to find the answer!

It’s a colorful world out there! When light from the sun hits surfaces on Earth, those surfaces reflect different wavelengths of light. Our eyes collect those waves and send them to our brains, which interpret the waves as colors! It’s an incredible process, and it happens in…well, the blink of an eye. But how many different colors can our eyes and brains identify? We asked University of Leeds color science professor Stephen Westland to help us find the answer.Got a HUE-mungous question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll identif-EYE the answer.

Fall is finally here!  For much of the world, that means falling leaves, cozy sweaters, and lots and lots of apples!  There are over 7,000 species of apples grown worldwide, and they’re all unique!  But how are they able to come in so many different colors? We asked Lee Kalcitsto help us find the answer.Have a question that’s got you stumped? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pick out the answer!

Throughout history, people all over the world have pictured our planet in different ways, including as a flat disc. It can be hard to see the Earth’s curve when you’re standing on the ground, but mathematical calculations and information from space voyages have confirmed that the Earth is a sphere. But…what would it actually be like if the planet was shaped like a big pancake instead? We asked astronomer Chris Impey to help us find the answer.Got a question orbiting your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer in no time flat.

The ocean has multiple layers, like a big, watery, salty cake. The deeper underwater you go, the more water above you – and the weight of all that water creates super strong pressure. So how do the fish that live in the deepest levels of the ocean survive without being squished? We asked marine biologist Keegan Lutek to help us find the answer.Got a question that you want to shellebrate? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an in-depth answer.

When was the last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt? Or cried so hard you couldn’t breathe? Sometimes it’s hard to tell if our emotions are in control or we are! To help find the answer, we asked Dr. Ed Greene, early childhood psychologist and consultant for our sister podcast Charm Words.Have a question that’s got you all emotional? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help feel it out.

The International Space Station is the largest structure that humans have ever launched into space. Hundreds of people have visited the space station over the past 25 years, but what about animals? Could birds or fish live there? We asked astronomy professor Chris Impey to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s launched you into a tizzy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sparrow no time finding the answer!

Have you ever put a bag of delicious crunchy apple slices in your backpack, only to discover they’ve turned brown by lunchtime? What’s up with that? We asked fruit tree expert and Washington State University associate professor Lee Kalcsits to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s apple-solutely awesome? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help color in the answer!

The universe can be a very mysterious place. It’s so big! And so full of incredible things! But what’s it made of? We asked astronomy professor Chris Impey to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s really out of this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help the stars align to find an answer!

Have you ever felt a little twinge or ache in your body, but you’re not sure where it came from? It might have been a growing pain! Just like a plant stretches toward the sun, your body might stretch too as you grow bigger. We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal about the science behind these pains.Got a question that’s growing in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – it won’t be a pain to help find the answer!

We eat food to power our bodies and keep us healthy. After all, food is full of the vitamins we need to survive. If you need vitamin C, try an orange. Vitamin B? Eggs or meat. But why do some foods have certain vitamins and other foods don’t? What determines which foods have which vitamins? We asked nutritionist Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s chewing at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you digest the answer.

It’s pretty easy to tell when someone didn’t get enough sleep and you may have even felt the warning signs yourself. Simple things might feel annoying, or more difficult and you might not feel like dealing with anything or anyone. Have you ever asked yourself why we feel so irritable when our bodies and minds are weary? We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s wearing you down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll crank out the answer.

Lots of animals feel itchy sometimes! Bears rub their backs on rough tree trunks, dogs love a good belly scratch and birds itch themselves with their feet. But what about flies? Do they get itchy, too? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’re itching to know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll come up with the answer from scratch!

Our solar system is full of incredible things, from rocky asteroids to Saturn’s spectacular rings. But most of these things are millions or even billions of miles away. Is it even possible to reach the furthest corners of our solar system? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question that you keep gravitating towards? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll launch the answer your way!

Rocket engines have to push REALLY hard against Earth’s gravity to get up off the ground. The rockets that NASA sends into space weigh over a million pounds! That is a LOT to try to lift into the air! So what kind of fuel do those powerful rocket engines use? We asked NASA scientist Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question orbiting your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll launch an answer your way.

3…2…1… Blast off! Rockets launch things into space, which is no easy task. They have to push off from the Earth and zoom at great speeds to break free from gravity. But how do they do it? What makes them different from airplanes? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s launched you into a tizzy? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll jet off to find an answer!

In movies and TV shows spaceships can often travel faster than the speed of light. It’s an idea often called a hyperdrive or warp speed, and it would let you explore the whole universe! So is hyperdrive possible in real life? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s out of this world? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll bring the answer down to Earth.

Have you ever watched a plane take off? It rolls down the runway, picks up speed and then suddenly – it’s in the air! But how exactly do planes fly? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question that has your curiosity taking flight? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that’s just plane fascinating!

Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Here’s a mind blower for you: did you know the ancestors of snakes used to have legs?   Somewhere along the zigzag path of evolution, they traded in their lizardy legs for a more streamlined look. But why did snakes go legless? We asked biologist and snake researcher Emily Taylor to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s snaking around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a fangtastic answer!  

Do you ever blush? Most of us do! Maybe it happens when you’re excited, or angry or embarrassed. But what causes our cheeks to turn pink, and why do we do it? We talked to pediatrician Kathryn Less to get the answer!Got a question that you’re ready to face? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll blush up on the answer.

We know that whales swim in the water. They eat  underwater. But do they…drink water? We got this fantastic question from a listener, so we reached out to  whale expert Joy Reidenberg from the  Icahn  School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s leaving you parched? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help quench your thirst for knowledge.

Aliens! Zombies! Tiny guys with big mustaches who can jump super high! Video games let you immerse yourself in new and fantastic worlds. But why is it so hard to stop playing, once you’ve started? We asked science journalist Christina Couch to help us find the answer.Got a question that won’t stop replaying in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that’s a real game changer. 

A volcano is a break in the crust of Earth that allows hot lava, ash and gas to escape. But what’s a supervolcano? Is it a really, really big volcano? Is it a volcano with super powers? We asked volcanologist Lissie Connors to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’d lava to know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try super hard to find the answer.

Cupcakes are delicious! From their light and spongy texture to their creamy frosting to their funky clothes, also known as wrappers, they are one of the most fun treats out there. Why do cupcakes have a wrapper anyway? We asked English professor and cookbook historian Elizabeth Fleitz to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s pretty sweet? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll wrap our brains around it.

Most people burp regularly. There are small burps and big burps, loud burps and stinky burps. But have you ever stopped and wondered why we burp? We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s just burstin’ out of you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you feel relieved.

Airplanes and trains use powerful engines to get around – but is one stronger than the other? Which would win in an epic engine showdown? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question that has your curiosity taking flight? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that’s right on track!

An engine is the power source for many types of vehicles and machines, and there are many cool-looking pieces that make it work. But how do they all work together? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer.Got a question that really fuels your curiosity? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll work to find the answer! 

Frogs love snacking on flies. The frog’s sticky tongue shoots out – quick as a flash! – grabs the fly and pulls it into its mouth. But what about other animals? Do they like eating flies too? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find an answer that satis-flies your curiosity!

A-choo! Does being outside on a sunny day ever make you sneeze? You’re not alone! But what causes these sunshine sneeze attacks? We asked scientist Dr. Kira Bacal to help us find the answer. Got a question that you’re a-chooing on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that’ll blow your mind.

Quick, how many pasta shapes can you name?! Spaghetti, rigatoni, tortellini, macaroni, penne, bucatini…whew! There are a plethora of pastas to choose from. But have you ever thought about why this simple food comes in so many shapes? We asked pasta shape inventor Dan Pashman to give us the dish. Got a question that’s pastatively confounding? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll serve up the answer.

Have you ever seen a willow tree? They sometimes have long branches that hang down to the ground and make them look like green, leafy waterfalls.  But why do they have this unusual shape?  We asked botanist Brandi Cannon-Force  to help us find the answer.Got a question that you just can’t find the answer to?  Don’t weep! Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll root around for the answer.

Have you ever taken a trip in an airplane? When you’re in the air, it feels like you’re sitting still, but you’re actually flying super fast! Some airplanes, called jumbo jets, can weigh about one million pounds at takeoff. So how do they manage to get up into the air when they’re so heavy? We asked NASA aerospace engineer Erik Axdahl to help us find the answer. Got a question you just can’t that’s really weighing on you?  Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll be sure to land on an answer!

Everyone poops! It’s how a body gets rid of the waste left over after it digests food.  Animals poop on the ground. Fish poop in water. Birds can poop while flying. But what about bugs? Do they poop? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Carver to help us find the answer.Doo you have a question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a turd-aly awesome answer!

Tongues do all different kinds of things for us. They help us taste our food and swallow it – plus they’re really important for talking and singing! Lots of other animals have tongues, like woodpeckers, cheetahs and chameleons. But do sharks have them? We asked shark scientist Melissa Cristina Marquez to help us find the answer.Got a question that’d you’d like to sink your teeth into? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer lickety split!

Blinking our eyes helps keep them from drying out and clears away tiny pieces of gunk that can irritate them, like dust and dirt. But what about flies? Do they blink their eyes, too? We asked graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it in the blink of an eye!

People are smart in so many different ways. Some are book smart, while others are  good with people, great at solving puzzles, or skilled at drawing. But what about musicians? It takes a lot of brainpower to be able to play music. Are they smarter than others? We asked voice teacher Kristy Bissell to help us find the answer.Got a really smart question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll re-chord a great answer for you.

Colors have so many different names! Even just one color, like pink, might have a few dozen names. There’s coral pink, fuschia, salmon, rose, mauve, blush or even Barbie pink! But where do these names come from, and who gets to decide which ones we use? We asked color science professor Stephen Westland to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s a pigment of your imagination? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you brush up on the answer.

Sharks are usually shown in movies and TV shows as huge, scary monster fish. But it’s actually really rare for a human to get bitten by a shark. And they are incredible creatures that deserve to be LOVED! So why are lots of people so scared of them? We asked shark scientist Melissa Marquez to help us find the answer.Got a GILLion-dollar question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a FINtastic answer.

Wow, wow wow have we got some big news! Brains On!, Smash Boom Best and Forever Ago are coming together for the Big Dig - an archeological, paleontological extravaganza that you can participate in through YouTube.The show has it all: Megaladons vs Giant Sloths, dinosaurs covered in cake AND lemonade being slurped through a straw!Go to brainson.org/fieldtrips to secure your space and check out the other events we have planned this fall. Plus, Smarty Pass members can take 20% off!

Happy Bee Week! Each episode this week gives you the buzz on our powerful, pollinating friends. What does the world look like to bees? When they land on a flower, is it like a big colorful trampoline? Bees are very small, so would grains of pollen look like tennis balls? Would a butterfly look like an airplane? Can bees see tiny things that our eyes can’t? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s giving you hives? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make it our BUZZness to find the answer! 

Happy Bee Week! Each episode this week gives you the buzz on our powerful, pollinating friends. Bees spend their lives flitting from blossom to blossom, drinking each flower’s sweet nectar. And some have a special way of defending themselves: a sharp, tiny stinger in their butts. But why do bees sting? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got some questions buzzing around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll honeycomb through them. 

Happy Bee Week! Each episode this week gives you the buzz on our powerful, pollinating friends. You’ve probably heard of queen bees, right? Her highness of the hive, the one who holds all the flower power. But how come there’s no such thing as a king bee? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s bee-n buzzing around in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll make a beeline for the answer!

Happy Bee Week! Each episode this week gives you the buzz on our powerful, pollinating friends. Bees have two sets of beautiful wings, cute little antennae and six legs. But do they have noses? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s the bee’s knees? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help sniff out an answer!

Happy Bee Week! Each episode this week gives you the buzz on our powerful, pollinating friends. Bees spread pollen from one flower to another, which helps the flowers make seeds and grow new plants. But do they have a favorite flower? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that you may bee wondering about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer, honey!

Have you ever noticed that your voice on a video or audio recording sounds totally different from when you’re just speaking? Maybe you’ve recorded yourself talking or singing, and when you play it back…it sounds like a different person! Why is that? We asked voice teacher Kristy Bissell to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s really speaking to you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a pitch perfect answer. 

Mice and rats are some of the most common critters around. You may see them out in your yard, on the street, or even sometimes in your house! It can be hard to tell them apart because they look similar, with twitchy little noses and hairless tails. So what’s the difference between a mouse and a rat? We asked Philadelphia Zoo animal curator Michael Stern to help us find the answer.Got an a-MOUSE-zing question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it on squeakerphone.

Insects are incredible climbers. Flies, ants, grasshoppers and many others can climb straight up walls using teeny tiny claws on their feet. But what happens if one loses its balance and takes a tumble? Would it get hurt? We asked Johns Hopkins University neuroscience graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s really buggin’ you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll take the plunge to find an answer!

Fireflies are nature’s fireworks! Depending on where you live, you might see their blue-green lights twinkling in forests, parks, or even your backyard! But how do they make light? We asked Johns Hopkins graduate student Abel Corver to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s lighting up your imagination? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll answer it faster than you can say, “Ready, set, glow!”

Not only can people make all kinds of sounds with our voices, we can make those sounds loud or soft depending on what we’re doing. When we’re out on the playground, we can YELL TO A FRIEND, but in the library, we whisper quietly. How do we change our vocal volume? We asked voice teacher Kristy Bissell to help us find the answer.Got a question you want to holler about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll yelp you find the answer.  

Sharks are truly amazing creatures. They can find prey using electricity. Their skin is made up of tiny teeth that act like scales. And they don’t have any bones! But can sharks smell a tiny drop of blood in the water from miles away? We asked shark scientist Melissa Cristina Márquez to help us find the answer.Got a JAWSome question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help fish out an answer!

Lots of animals have teeth: walruses, baboons, and of course – humans! Teeth help cut and grind up food into smaller pieces so it’s safe to swallow. But why don’t ducks and other birds have teeth? We asked animal researcher Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a question you’ve been chewing over? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll quack the case!

Munch, crunch, sluuuurp! Eating is one of the great joys of life! We all know that food goes in one way and eventually out the other, right? But what journey does it take after you swallow it?? We asked dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s eating you up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll chew on it ‘til we find the answer!

There are lots of stellar songs about the night sky, but one of the most popular is this one: Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Have you ever wondered why stars twinkle, though? We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s taking up space in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a five-star answer!

Humans need sleep! It helps recharge our brains and keeps our bodies running. But what about other animals – do they all sleep?? Do narwhals nap? Do spiders snooze? Do donkeys doze? We asked Philadelphia Zoo animal curator Michael Stern to help us find the answer.Got a question that you can’t ig-SNORE? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer of your dreams.

It’s Breathe Week – a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy! Do you ever plug your nose when you notice a bad smell? Does it help? Can you still smell at all? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s stinkin’ good? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find someone that nose the answer.  

It’s Breathe Week - a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. If we need oxygen to breathe, and oxygen comes from trees, and there aren’t that many trees in the desert, how do people breathe in the desert? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.Got a question that you just can’t under-sand? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help quench your thirst for the answer. 

It’s Breathe Week - a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. Humans love to swim and play in the water - but we can’t breathe underwater without lotws of heavy scuba gear. Why is that?? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.Got a question that you swimply must know the answer to? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sea-k out an answer! 

It’s Breathe Week - a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. Every time you take a breath, you’re inhaling oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. But how does that work?  We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s a real gas? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it answered – we’re not blowing hot air! 

It’s Breathe Week – a whole week of episodes about one of the most important things our bodies do to keep us alive and healthy. When you take a big breath, your lungs fill up with oxygen. But why is oxygen so important? We asked pediatrician Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s a real breath of fresh air? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we periodically choose questions to answer!

Every year, billions of birds around the world migrate, moving from one place to another for the season! Some, like geese, travel in groups. Others, like hummingbirds, make their journeys alone. But how do these feathered friends know when it’s time to go? We asked science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s flying around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help soar-t out the answer!

Red, yellow and blue are primary colors. But they’re not the only primary colors. Exactly what makes colors primary, and what other primary colors exist? Stephen Westland, a professor of color science and technology at the University of Leeds, helped us find the answer.Got a colorful question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help paint a pretty answer.

Some animals, like whales and wallabies, are wild. Others, like cats and chickens, are domesticated – which means they’ve been bred over many years to be tame. But how did animals get domesticated? We asked Brains On producer and archaeologist Anna Goldfield to help us find the answer. Got a question that’s driving you wild? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a pawsome answer! 

Have you ever started to pour milk into your cereal, only to realize it smells sour?! Or forgotten to eat that banana in the bottom of your backpack before it got brown and spotty? Lots of the foods we eat will eventually go bad. But why does this happen at all, and why does it happen super fast for some foods and really slowly for others? We asked dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.Got a very appealing question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We won’t spoil your fun!

If you’ve ever played with a cat, you might already know how much they love chasing after lights. Point a flashlight or laser pointer at the ground and your furry friend will probably chase it or even pounce on it! But why are cats so interested in lights? We asked veterinarian Lena Provost to help us find the answer.Got a question that you need an answer for right meow? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help chase down the answer – we’re not kitten around.

If you could turn your hair any color in the world… what color would you choose?! Sapphire blue, hot pink, lime green, neon orange?? There are dyes out there that can turn your hair every color of the rainbow! But how exactly do they work? We asked Chemist Michelle Wall to help us understand.Got a hairy question that needs answering? Send it to us atBrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll style an answer for you!

In the United States, you can’t get a tattoo until you’re 18 years old. If that seems unfair, just think about it - it’s permanent! As in…forever and ever! For all time! So how does it actually stay on your skin? We asked dermatologist Roopal Kundu to help us find the answer.Got a question that feels like it’s permanently etched in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help (th)ink of an answer.

You don’t see most horses wearing pants, jackets or hats but one thing is for sure - they’re almost always wearing shoes! You know, those u-shaped things attached to their hooves. Why is that? Large animal surgeon Whitney Cutrone helps us find the answer. Are you saddled with a big equestrian? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll get to the mane issue.

For the most part, flowers smell really great, right? They give off scents that are sweet, syrupy, perfumy and fresh. But they don’t all smell the same. We asked botanist Josh Felton from Colorado College why that is.Got a question you’d like to sniff out? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a budding expert to give the answer.

Owls are amazing. Most are nocturnal and hunt at night. They have incredible eyesight. And a group of them is called a parliament! One of our listeners was wondering how far they can turn their heads around. We asked Lauren Smith from the Owl Research Institute to help us find the answer.Got a Moment of Um question that’s turning you upside down? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out.

Most birds spend a lot of time up in the air. Some travel long distances or fly super fast. Others, like hummingbirds, can even fly backwards! But do their wings ever get tired while they’re flapping through the air? We asked science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question perched on your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help answer it, BEAK-cause we love to learn! 

Our big, bright beautiful sun is a wonderful thing…but too much of a good thing can hurt! If you spend too long basking in that warm glow without proper protection, you could end up with a painful sunburn. But what actually happens to our bodies when we get a sunburn? We asked medical researcher Kira Bacal to help us find the answer.Got a burning question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and just like sunscreen, we’ve got you covered!

Have you ever seen a hot air balloon flying above you? They look like something out of a storybook, but they’re real! People have been flying in them since the 1700s! But how do they work? We asked hot air balloon pilot Sema Mathebula to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s floating around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll help you land the answer!

Masked bandits. City-dwelling pests. Trash pandas. All of these phrases are commonly associated with the resilient, ring-tailed cuties we call RACCOONS! They’ve gotten a pretty bad rap, but they’re brilliant little animals! And they’re obsessed with eating our trash. Why is that? Why can’t we keep them out of our garbage bins? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a pesky question rummaging through your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. We’ll help catch an answer, and release it into the wild! 

Our tongues are covered in thousands of taste buds that tell us all about the flavors of different foods. Some of those flavors are more popular than others. Sweet, sugary candy? Lots of people love it. Salty snacks? Yes, please. But what about bitter foods? Why doesn’t this flavor make us drool like others do? We asked food scientist Brittany Towers Lewis to help us find the answer. Got a FLAVOR-ite question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find a tasteful answer.

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to beautiful insects with colorful wings that fly around in gardens and meadows. Butterflies start out as caterpillars. When the caterpillar is ready to change into a butterfly, it builds a shell called a chrysalis around itself and then goes through big changes. But can two caterpillars be in there together? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s DOUBLE the fun? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help wiggle out an answer. 

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to these beautiful insects that fly around in gardens and meadows, showing off their colorful wings.  But exactly what’s inside these majestic creature’s wings? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.Got a question fluttering around your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll let the truth fly!

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to these beautiful insects that fly around in gardens and meadows, showing off their colorful wings.  But what happens when it rains? What do butterflies do to pass the time? We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s giving you butterflies? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll send your thoughts soaring.

Picture this: you’re outside with a friend, and you both see a little insect flying around. It’s got a small dark body, some tiny antennae, and big colorful wings. You say, “What a beautiful butterfly!” But your friend says, “No, that’s a moth!” How can you tell the difference? We got entomologist Brian Brown to give us the key. If you’ve got a Moment of Um question fluttering around in your brain, send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll try to catch the answer.

Happy butterfly week! It’s a whole week dedicated to these beautiful insects that fly around in gardens and meadows, showing off their colorful wings. And today’s episode will help us understand not only how butterflies flap their wings – but bees too! We asked biologist Andrew Gordus of Johns Hopkins University to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s fluttering around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll get the buzz on your topic.  

People relax in all kinds of ways: spending time with friends, reading a good book or even petting a super soft cat. But have you ever tried sipping a mug of warm milk? For some people, drinking warm milk can be very relaxing – but why? We asked food scientist Brittany Towers Lewis to help us find the answer.Got a legen-dairy question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find an answer that puts you in a good moooood!

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, wait, it is actually a bird. Flying is pretty amazing, and birds of all kinds swoop through the air with the greatest of ease. How high can those feathery fliers go? We asked science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question flapping around in your noggin? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll tweet you to some answers.

If you think about the whole history of our planet, the part that includes humans is just a teeny tiny blip. The Earth was around for more than four BILLION years before there was any life on the planet at all. Thinking about such a huge amount of time can really boggle your brain!  How do we understand what happened when?  We asked astronomer Mark Popinchalk to help us find the answer.Got a question that totally rocks? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help reach a geo-LOGICAL conclusion.

Dogs have some pretty great body parts: soft ears, happy tails, adorable paws…but have you ever wondered why they have such wet little noses? Is it so they can leave nose prints on every window? Is it for a fun, chilly surprise when they sniff each other’s butts? We asked animal researcher Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’d love to nose more about? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll sniff out an answer!

Do you have a favorite food that your friend doesn’t like at all? That’s pretty common! People like – and dislike – different foods. But why is that? We asked dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.Got a question that tickles your tongue or baffles your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you get a taste for the truth.

Cows make something incredible and edible: milk! They have a unique digestive system that helps them turn grass and other plants into milk. But why do they have four teats on each udder? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s udderly fascinating? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll steer you in the right direction.

Birds have a beautiful and vibrant language that we may not be able to understand, but can certainly enjoy. But what about different species of birds – can they understand each other? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’d like to communicate to us? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact - we promise it won’t be a bird-en!

If you’re new to the barnyard, one easy way to tell male roosters from female hens is by the noises they make. Hens like to cluck, so when you hear a chicken go “Bawk bawk BAAAWK,” it’s usually a hen! And a rooster’s crow is unmistakable – who else starts the day with a big “errr-errr-ERRROOO?!” But what happens when hens start to crow? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a question you’ve been brooding over? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll give you something to crow about!

A rooster’s crow is one of the most iconic noises in the animal world. They puff up their chests, stretch out their necks, and belt out a big, beautiful errr-errr-ERRROOO! But why do roosters make this special noise? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a really egg-cellent question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise we won’t chicken out!

It’s cherry season! These tart, juicy flavor bombs are one of the best parts of summer.  But why do cherries have pits? We asked dietitian Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.Got a question you just cherry-ish? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we won’t pit until we find the answer.

Asparagus is a delicious and nutritious food. The green, spear-shaped vegetable tickles our taste buds, is full of vitamins and other good stuff, and has one hilarious side effect – it makes our pee smell funny! We asked food scientist Brittany Towers Lewis to help explain the reason behind this stinky phenomenon. Missing the answer to a question and you feel like that just stinks? If you send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, urine for a real treat!

One of the best parts of spending time outside is listening to all the different beautiful bird calls. It’s like nature’s symphony! But why do birds sing and chirp so much? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s truly im-peck-able? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise we won’t just wing it!

Sugar is everywhere: in our favorite fruits, desserts, even savory things like bread or sauces. But what exactly does sugar do to our bodies? We asked dietitian Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.Got a sweet question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll treat you to an answer!

Cats can be cute and cuddly, but their tongues are rough and bumpy! Why do our favorite felines have such super scratchy tongues? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.   Got a purrrfect question? Send it to us right meow at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer it - we’re not kitten around!

Have you ever seen a frog catch a bug with its tongue? The frog spots its prey and – quick as a flash – its tongue shoots out to catch it! But how do frogs make sure their tongues stay sticky, so they can snare delicious snacks? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s really stuck in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll hop to it!

It’s our last episode of Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week has explored these ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. And that’s kind of the sad part about them, right? Dinosaurs are gone, baby, gone. But could they ever come back? Maybe even just a teeny bit? Like maybe just the nice, little ones? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.Got a question that seems impossible? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help answer the question – it’s in our DNA. 

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. And today we’re taking a special dive into what was going on even BEFORE these prehistoric giants existed. Can you even imagine a time so long ago? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help paint us a picture of what was roaming the Earth before dinosaurs.Got a question that’s roaming around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you out because we’re as smart as a thesaurus!

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Now, close your eyes and picture a dinosaur. What color is it? Is it green? Blue? Sparkly purple? It’s interesting how we can know what color a dinosaur was when we were never around to see it. We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us dig into this issue.Got a colorful question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help paint a picture for you. 

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. So how many species of dinosaurs were actually alive back then? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s e-species-ly good? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help type out the answer. 

Happy Dinosaur Week! Every episode this week explores the ancient marvels that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Fossilized bones and footprints help scientists figure out what these prehistoric creatures looked like – but how do we know what they sounded like? We asked paleontologist and science journalist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.Got a question that makes you want to roar in frustration? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll find a dino-mite answer.   

Quick! Imagine a beaver. Did you picture a furry, water-loving creature with long teeth and a pancake-flat tail? Us, too! A beaver’s thick, wide tail is one of its most iconic features, but why does it have one? We asked naturalist and science communicator Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s really gnawing at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact – we wood love to help you answer it!

“Junk food” is a term you might have heard before that refers to foods that have a lot of calories but not much nutritional value - like cookies, candy and chips. But why does food that is often referred to as “junk” taste anything like junk, and what’s up with that term anyway? We asked registered dietitian Eva Haldis to help us find the answer.Got a question that makes you snicker? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and – donut worry – we’ll help you out. 

Human babies are born not knowing how to do a whole lot, besides eating, crying and pooping. But frog babies are born with a special power - they can jump really high! So how do they do it? We asked naturalist Lucy Lapwing to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s toad-ally confusing? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll hop to it!

Have you ever wondered why cats make that delightful, soft rumbling sound? Is it because they’re happy? Relaxed? Trying desperately to tell us it’s dinnertime? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.   Got a question that’s just purr-fect for Moment of Um? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we’re feline pretty paw-sitive that we can help. 

Weather forecasts can be super helpful. They can tell you how to dress for the day, whether to bring an umbrella to the park or if you’ll need extra sunscreen for your beach day! But how on Earth do the people who predict the weather know how to work their magic? We asked meteorologist Alan Sealls to help us find the answer.Got a question blowing around in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help forecast an answer!

Got milk? Cows sure do! Baby cows drink 10% of their body weight in milk everyday! That means some babies are guzzling more than a gallon of milk per day. But how do mama cows make it? We asked animal expert Courney Daigle to help us find the answer.   Got a question that’s udderly confusing? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll steer you in the right direction.

Whooooosh! Wind can rush in quickly and blow things all out of whack! But where does it come from, and how is it created? We asked meteorologist Alan Sealls to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s wind-ing you up? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer with gust-o. 

Do you ever get a hankering for something sweet? Or maybe you crave a super salty snack, like crunchy dill pickles! Lots of people crave different kinds of foods when they’re hungry – but why? We asked dietitian Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s eating you up inside? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find a satisfying answer!

Worms are the superheroes of the underground world! But what do these tiny titans do that makes them so special? We asked naturalist Lucy Lapwing all about the ways our incredible, slimy friends make the planet a better place to live!Got a question that’s wriggling around in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact and we’ll dig up the answer!

Do you like rainy days? Or would you prefer to have fun in the sun? Either way, no rainstorm lasts forever. But what makes it stop? We asked meteorologist Alan Sealls to help us find the answer.Got a question you’ve been pouring over? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help clear it up!

Baby lions are adorable! They’re small and fluffy, and they have spots. But adult lions don’t have any spots. So what happens? Do the spots fall off? Do birds steal them? We asked animal researcher Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s just lion around? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you spot the answer!  

The bumps on our arms and legs that show up when we’re cold or scared are called  goosebumps in honor of the bumpy skin underneath a goose’s feathers. But do animals besides humans get goosebumps? We asked animal expert Courtney Daigle to help us find the answer.Exgoose us, but do you have a question bumping around your brain? Just give us a honk at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find the answer!

Ice skates are amazing! Think about it: you put them on, lace them up and suddenly you’re walking on water! Well, frozen water. But how do these magic things work? We asked Olympic speed skater Erin Jackson to help us find the answer. Got a question twirling around your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll figure it out.

Are you a karaoke king who loves to sing for anyone and everyone? Or a shy songstress who saves your talents for your family? Or a sneaky, private pop star who only serenades the clothes in your closet? Most of us are able to sing, but why are some of us better than others? Voice teacher Kristy Bissell helps us understand why some people can sing sweeter than a songbird.Got a question that’s got you singing the blues? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help provide an answer that’s music to your ears!

Puberty is a time of big changes for humans. Our bodies change, our voices change, even our moods change! But do animals go through puberty, too? We asked veterinarian Lena Provost to help us find the answer.Got a question you think is too hairy to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help change your mind!  

Happy Elephant Week! Every episode this week answers a different question about our magnificent and ginormous elephant friends. It’s a cartoon tale as old as time. Giant elephant sees a tiny mouse. Eeek! Elephant is frightened, jumps up onto comically small chair. CLASSIC. But what actually happens when an elephant comes across a mouse in the wild? We asked psychology professor and elephant expert Joshua Plotnick to help us find the answer.Got a jumbo-sized question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll unpack our trunk full of answers.

Happy Elephant Week! Every episode this week answers a different question about our magnificent and ginormous elephant friends. Elephants use their long, flexible noses to sniff out food, take baths and even hug other elephants. But do they ever get boogers in their trunks? We asked psychology professor and elephant expert Joshua Plotnik to help us find the answer!Got a question that’s snot easy to answer? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help pick out the answer.

Happy Elephant Week! Every episode this week answers a different question about our magnificent and ginormous elephant friends. Have you ever accidentally gotten water up your nose? Imagine if you could slurp up a whole bunch of water with your snoot! You’d probably want to spray it around, right? That’s something that elephants do all the time – but why? We asked psychology professor and elephant expert Joshua Plotnick to help us find the answer.Got a pachyderm puzzler?  Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an elephantastic answer! 

Happy Elephant Week! Every episode this week answers a different question about our magnificent and ginormous elephant friends. You may have seen elephants at zoos and marveled at their size. Maybe you’ve seen nature programs about these ponderous pachyderms. It’s no secret: Elephants are big. But why do they grow so large? We asked psychology professor and elephant expert Joshua Plotnick to help us find the answer.Got a HUGE question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find the answer. No biggie!

Welcome to Elephant Week! Every episode this week answers a different question about our magnificent and ginormous elephant friends. Have you ever wondered what elephants eat? Because we have! We asked psychology professor and elephant expert Joshua Plotnik to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s eating away at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer that satisfies your hunger for knowledge!

Everybody has different preferences when it comes to food. Some people don’t like squishy textures or spicy flavors. And others avoid entire food groups, like vegetables! Have you ever turned up your nose at a turnip? Refused a radish? Pooh-poohed a pepper? Ever wondered why? We asked nutritionist Ana Veloso to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s bean puzzling you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and lettuce help you find the answer. 

With their graceful necks and long legs, giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world! These spotty, plant-eating giants roam the African savannah, towering over their fellow creatures. But why are they so tall? We asked psychology professor Joshua Plotnik to help us find the answer.Got a gigantic question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that measures up!

If you’ve ever looked at a chicken – like, really looked at one – you might have noticed that our feathered backyard friends look like mini dinosaurs. Think about it: their scaly toes look just like tiny T. rex feet! But are chickens actually related to the mighty T. rex? We asked paleontologist Shaena Montanari to help us find the answer.Got a dino-mite question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we promise we won’t chicken out!

Strings, woodwinds, percussion, brass…every instrument has its own unique voice. But have you ever wondered how each instrument actually makes sound? What makes a harp go plink plunk, a clarinet go bwaaahhh or a tuba go oompah? We asked musician Jennifer Christen to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s instrumental to your happiness? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help compose an answer.

Humans remember the people we meet by recognizing faces, voices, or with the help of a handy-dandy name tag. But do our canine companions do the same? Can a dog recognize someone they haven’t seen in a long time? We asked Barnard College dog cognition researcher Alexandra Horowitz to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s keeping you pup at night? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll search doggedly for the answer!

Humans tend to prefer using one hand over the other. How you write, throw a ball or play an instrument might depend on whether you’re right or left-handed. But what about critters who don’t have hands? Do dogs and cats have preferred paws? We asked veterinarian Lena Provost to help us find the answer.Got a left-over question that’s right up our alley? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll hand you an answer!

A beard is nature’s face-sweater. And just like a regular sweater, it can be scratchy and itchy and just plain uncomfortable. So what makes some people’s facial hair so sharp? We asked beard expert Greg Berzinsky to help us find the answer.Got a question whose answer you haven’t been able to stubble upon? You mustacheBrainsOn.org/contact. After all, we’re pretty sharp! 

Dogs communicate in a bunch of ways, from tail wags to barks. But can dogs from different parts of the world understand each other? We asked dog behavioral scientist Alexandra Horowitz to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s really hounding you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, because we woof love to help you!

Have you ever followed a slimy, iridescent trail in the garden or park and found a snail, munching on a tasty plant? Or maybe a slug was helping itself to your snap peas! Snails and slugs look pretty similar, so why does only one have a shell? We asked biologist Teresa Rose Osborne to help us track down the answer.Got a question that has you retreating into your shell? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll try not to answer it at a snail’s pace!

A steel drum is a musical instrument that’s traditionally made out of an oil barrel or other metal objects. So how does it make its iconic sound? We asked steel drum expert and band leader Jeremy Kunkel to help us find the answer.Steeling yourself for a great question? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help drum up an answer.

3D glasses. Those little paper spectacles with one red lens and one blue. Put ’em on, and suddenly, POW! Images seem to leap right off the screen! Do these glasses play magical mind tricks on our brain? Do they give our eyeballs multi-dimensional superpowers? For a lens into how it all works, we talked to UW-Madison physicist Pupa Gilbert.Got a question that’s really jumping out at you? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you put it into focus.

Most of us have used a glue stick or Elmer’s, but what about the strongest glue in the WORLD? We got a fantastic question from a couple of listeners who wanted to know what the strongest glue is, so we reached out to biomedical engineer Danna Sheridan to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s sticking in your mind? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help unglue the answer!

Are you left-handed or right-handed? Chances are you’re right handed, because more people are (though if you’re left-handed, that’s cool too!). So why are more people right-handed? We asked paleontologist Alexander Claxton to help us get to the bottom of this question. Got a question whose answer you can’t quite put your finger on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help point out the answer.

If you’ve ever taken a close look at a beehive you can see that it is covered in tiny hexagons! But why is that? We asked bee researcher Jessica Kevill to help us find the answer.Got a Moment of Um question that’s buzzing around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help get it all sorted out.

Even though fish can be very small, it’s obvious that they have mouths. But what’s inside that mouth? Tiny teeth? A little tongue? A uvula hangy ball at the back of their throat? Tierney Thys, a marine biologist and National Geographic explorer, helps us understand at least one element of a fish’s mouth - whether they have tongues! Got a burning Moment of Um question that you just can’t lick? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you get a taste for knowledge!

Hurricanes are huge, destructive storms that suck up heat from tropical ocean waters, while tornadoes are smaller, funnel-shaped columns of air that form over land. But what would happen if these two weather titans happened at the same time? We asked meteorologist Rosimar Rios-Berrios to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s left your head spinning? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll shed some lightning on it for you!

Buckle up, because today’s “Storm Week” episode is going to be a whirlwind! A tornado is a super fast tunnel of wind that touches the ground. Its twisting, turning winds can reach 300 miles per hour – faster than an airplane when it’s taking off! But how do we know that? We asked meteorologist Alan Sealls to help us find out how a tornado’s speed is measured. Got a question that’s got you all twisted? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact. It’ll be a breeze!

Happy Storm Week! Today’s episode is all about lightning – that big spark of electricity that illuminates the sky during a storm. If you’ve ever drawn lightning on a piece of paper, you probably sketched it as a zig zag. So how does lightning get its iconic shape? We asked meteorologist Alan Sealls to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s zig zagging around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help you discover a bolt of knowledge! 

Happy Storm Week! Let’s talk about clouds today. There are lots of different types of clouds: fluffy ones, wispy ones, even little puffballs that look like a rabbit’s tail! But when a storm rolls in, the clouds often get darker – sometimes even turning deep gray. So what’s going on? We asked meteorologist Rosimar Rios-Berrios to help us find the answer.Got a question that’s clouding your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll rain down answers on you!

Happy Storm Week! Storms can be scary, but they can also be beautiful and awe-inspiring. Every episode this week explores the power and majesty of nature's most dynamic weather patterns. Today's question comes from a listener who was wondering “How do hurricanes form?” We asked atmospheric scientist Rosimar Rios-Berrios to help us find the answer.Got a question spinning around in your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll find an answer that will blow you away. 

Rainbows are created when sunlight hits tiny water droplets in the air. They may not lead to an enchanted treasure or a newborn baby unicorn, but they’re still pretty magical! So where do they start and end? We asked atmospheric scientist Rosimar Rios-Berrios to help us find the answer.Got a question that you’re reflecting on? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help color in the details.